Net migration is expected to stay low - with global affairs keeping many people where they are

Stats NZ data shows there was a net migration gain of only 26-thousand in the year to March - down from more than 100-thousand the year before.

It says the fall is mainly due to fewer migrant couples arriving, with a slight increase in departures.

Massey University Sociologist Paul Spoonley says it's similar to changes seen during the 2008 financial crisis.

He says migrants don't move when there's economic uncertainty.